trimming bolivian jew

i have a beehive bolivian jew that is rather large.......i went to check to see if i needed to water it and i had a hard time getting to the soil....my question is'do i trim it and repot it to a bigger pot(currently in a 8 or 10 inch haning basket) or trim it and leave it, or seperate some of it....it took me a while to find one in such nice condition i dont want to kill it....lol.......thanks in advance.....cindy

What is that plant? I can't find any references to it under that name?

im sorry...i just looked it up and it is called, callisia navicularis.........the common name is beehive bolivian jew...thanks for any help....please hurry......lol..cindy

Hi Brommom,

I have Callisia (either fragrans, or elegans) & mine grows like a weed, I cut it back all the time & stick cuttings right back in w/ mother plant. Perhaps just trim it back a bit & put the cuttings in another pot? Don't know that the answer to this is black & white (sure a bigger pot would be OK, but then it wouldn't look so full). I think whatever you do should be OK. Could you soak the pot for a while, so you'd have less trouble getting to the mix? Alternately, top watering them (in my experience) is of no harm to the leaves at all. Tough & sturdy plants, never heard of yrs., what color is it. HTH

pirate girl..........mine is just the regular old color i guess.....lol.....it gets a prettier purple to the more direct light it gets.....im keeping my out for the tri color one though........there is one out there somewhere.......lol.....what color is yours?

cindy

and thanks for the info

Hi Brommom,

Are you SURE it's Callisia you have? Mine is light bright green, & I thought they all were, also mine has runners like a Spider Plant (Chlorophytum). I have heard that having runners is the other distinguishing feature btwn Callisia fragrans & Callisia elegans. You might check the pic at Desert-tropicals.com, that's what mine looks like, very green, almost no purple except at very center of rosette. From yr. description, I'm suspecting it's another kind of Wandering Jew (Trandescantia, Zebrina, etc.)

I also have Setcresea (another relative of these), purple & somewhat hairy, gets more purple w/ more light & blooms small pink flowers w/ 3 petals (as characteristic of blooms of this family of plants (Commelinacae)).

Will C - care to jump in here? Any thoughts now that we have a formal plant name?

on this thread this is definately a beehive bolivian jew...i know that for sure....and i didnt quite know if i should divide it up or trim the ends(like when we get our hair trimmed) or what...thanks everyone

i did have a question on id forum about a plant i had no idea what it was, but everyone did an ecellent job and found out that it is a callisia fragrans.....

yall r really know your plants....thanks so very much

cindy

This naming business is never easy! Callisia navicularis is listed as tradescantia navicularis in older references. (It is quite common for plants to be recategorized as botanists collect new information). It is commonly referred to as chain plant which is why I couldn't find anything as beehive Bolivian Jew.

Navicularis is from Peru and eastern Mexico and has very fleshy, coppery green leaves with purple mottling underneath. The coloring may fade more to green in lower light. Pink/purple flowers

Elegans is known as striped inch plant. Its leaves are olive green lined with white stripes and deep purple underneath. White flowers

Fragrans has larger leaves that are glossy green tinged with dull purple at the edges in strong light. White flowers.

thanks will....i dont do very good with names....i just go by what they tell me it is when they sell it to me or what i have seen on the net or something.........my callisia has never bloomed for me and the purple is anything but dull...lol..it is a very pretty purple.....i luv this plant even more now that i know what it is...and my bolivian jew is huge and its getting bigger.......lol....thanks everyone...cindy

*I have a "mystery" member of the Commelinaceae that I think is Bolivian Jew. I've checked many web references and can't find it. Anyone know where I can look?
*The only Callisias I can find out about are the C.fragrans, which I have, and C.elegans. They have markedly different appearances.
*C.elegans has the classic appearance of the Wandering Jew, with alternate leaves, and I think it's a trailer (could be upright as is its relative, Dichorisandra).
*Callisia fragrans looks almost like a bromeliad, with substantial, shiny foliage (at first glance I wondered if it was another Dracaena) that has fine, purple markings that proliferate in higher light exposures. It produces little offsets not unlike spider plant (Chlorophytum).
*My "mystery" plant has small (1/2 inch), alternate leaves, deep green, with purple stems. In higher light situations, the leaves are very close together. The leaves are wider and thicker than Tradescantia multiflora, the Tahitian bridal veil. It's a trailer.
*Gee, I didn't know I had a question!!! but I certainly do.
*SAY did anyone actually answer the original question? I say, prune away Brommom! And you could pot up the prunings and have nice Christmas gifts for someone(s).

This message was edited Friday, Aug 10th 3:14 PM

i found callisia and bolivian beehive jew at plantcare.com....they look just like the ones i have....any one have any other callisia that they would be willing to trade some cuttings....???...hint hint....yall r so great in here.........i just luv it...:)

cindy

Brommom, what a fine little website! Thank you so very much! My "mystery" spiderwort is indeed a Bolivian Jew.
:)perL

oh my gosh........i actually helped someone......i feel like i am actually putting my listening and looking to use......glad i could be of help....cindy......:)

Brommom, check also Callisia repens.